It also came up with Apple's Orwellian "1984," which launched the Macintosh and established the Super Bowl as a commercial showcase, according to AdWeek.

According to Swoosh:The Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There, Day wanted to buy an ad in The Wall Street Journal claiming the successful ads as the work of his agency. When Nike executive Rob Strasser objected, Day changed the ad to "Rob. Peace. G."

"When the Nike client got upset because we were getting more publicity than they were, it was Guy who stood up to them," former colleague Tom Patty wrote at the blog jay/day.

Later, Chiat/Day would orchestrate an ad campaign for Nike's rival, Reebok. It also helped pave the way for agencies such as Portland's Wieden+Kennedy to set up shop outside New York City and Chicago, according to AdWeek.